Serial bank robber gets 76 years from judge. Prosecutors asked for 20

Joseph Donelson Jr., 68, has received a 76-year federal prison sentence for robbing or attempting to rob four downtown Chicago banks over two months in 2023 while serving supervised release for previous bank robbery convictions. Prosecutors had asked for “only” 20 years.

Donelson committed the four crimes just months after prison released him following an earlier series of bank robberies, prosecutors said. During the 2023 spree, Donelson jumped onto a teller counter during one attempted robbery, pointed a “gun-like object” at a teller during another robbery and struck a teller in the face with the object during a fourth incident.

the four holdups were:

October 11, 2023: Donelson tried to rob the Citibank at 180 North Michigan Avenue in the Loop, jumping onto the teller counter and reaching toward the teller drawer.
November 7, 2023: Donelson returned to the same Citibank and robbed a teller of $9,161 after pointing the “gun-like object” at her, according to prosecutors.
December 8, 2023: Donelson robbed the Citibank at 539 North Michigan Avenue on the Magnificent Mile of $4,650 after partially pulling a “gun-like object” from his jacket and demanding money, prosecutors said. The teller hid underneath her teller station after Donelson left because she was so frightened.
December 19, 2023: Donelson tried to rob the Citibank at 100 South Michigan Avenue in the Loop. He pulled out a “gun-like object,” demanded money, and struck the teller in the face before reaching across the counter toward the teller drawer, according to the sentencing memorandum.

The teller involved in the November 7 robbery told investigators she believed Donelson would kill her if she didn’t comply, prosecutors said. She later experienced significant trauma, stopped working at the bank and received a PTSD diagnosis, the government reported.

Donelson committed the four crimes while serving federal supervised release following his imprisonment for a 2007 bank robbery case, prosecutors said. One of those earlier federal bank robbery convictions resulted in a 20-year sentence, according to the government’s sentencing memorandum.

A federal jury convicted Donelson earlier this year, and U.S. District Judge Steven Seeger sentenced him Tuesday to two 20-year terms and two 18-year terms, all to be served consecutively.